D. Renee Bagby -- Guest Blog: Part 2!

Here is Part 2 of D. Renee Bagby's Guest Blog! I hope everyone has enjoyed having her here, as I know Mandy and I have! Thanks so much for guest blogging with us D. Renee Bagby!



Little Known Facts about Adrienne

These facts fall into three categories—the way it was, deleted scenes and stuff I couldn’t mention in the book but wanted known.

The Way It Was
Anyone who’s read any of my past interviews knows that it took me about five years to get to the version of Adrienne that’s out now. I had a few unfinished WIPs (works-in-progress) and finished first draft written but didn’t like how they turned out and reworked the story idea. I didn’t like the rework, which was just an expanded outline, so I scraped that and restarted from the beginning. Here’s what got scraped:

- Adrienne’s name used to be Arlean (pronounced Arlene) Winster, Malik was Malcolm, Chandra used to be Charyl, Hollace was Halor, Oringo was Oryal—and he was Halor’s second-in-command, not his son—and Travers was Traton. Did I do good changing those names or what? Man it’s embarrassing to admit, though. The only character who never went through a name change was Feyr. That was his name from the beginning and I never had the inclination to change it.

- Adrienne was originally a high school senior. Yup. I had her as the loner/outcast type that kept to herself but made superb grades. Her grades made her a teacher favorite thus her outcast status.

- Josh—the antagonist at the beginning of the book, in case you’ve forgotten him—was also a senior. But he was grunge instead of prep. Still a rich kid but Adrienne caught him dealing in the bathrooms instead of plagiarizing. Like the book, Josh was expelled for possession and decided to take his anger out on Adrienne during her lunch period, which means Malik’s intervention—the original intervention—took place around noon on the middle of a high school campus full of kids. Yeah, that got scraped quick, fast and in a hurry.

- Originally, before I conceived of my Multiverse, all people who hopped from Earth to Bron were automatically powerful mages. It came from being from Earth. That got scraped when I decided to string my stories together through the Multiverse. But, I had to conceive of a reason for Adrienne to be kidnapped. Well… that gets mentioned later in the book—thus I won’t give it away in case someone hasn’t read it yet—and explained fully in a story I have planned for later down the road.

- Hollace was the original antagonist. In the first, first version, Malik (Malcolm) brought Adrienne across the dimensional threshold but the portal went screwy and she landed in Hollace’s forest. He found her and took her home without knowing who she was. In the second rework, he captured Adrienne and was going to marry her to Oringo so Malik couldn’t have her, but Malik pulled a switch and married her disguised as Oringo.

- Malik was supposed to be evil. I kid you not. I wanted him to be evil, but he wasn’t going for it. So, I let him be spoiled instead—the way he wanted. To make up for it, I made an evil hero that will show up in my dragon books.



Check out our reviews for Adrienne!

Happy Reading!
*Dee*
R&R

D. Renee Bagby-- Guest Blog: Part 1!!!

Hello everyone, and thanks for stopping by! Today, we have Part One of D. Renee Bagby's guest blog! Mandy and I at Rogues and Romance are absolutely thrilled to have her here. :-) We were BOTH lucky enough to review Adrienne, and D. Renee Bagby is here today to give us some deleted scenes and things she couldn't mention in Adrienne. :-)



Little Known Facts about Adrienne

These facts fall into three categories—the way it was, deleted scenes and stuff I couldn’t mention in the book but wanted known

Deleted Scenes
This is stuff that was sacrificed on the editing altar. My original submission was one hundred and thirty thousand words. That got cut to ninety-seven thousand for the final release.

- There was a short chapter where Adrienne’s family goes to the police station near the college and talks to the cops about the incident. That was the first introduction of the family. It got cut so the story could flow better. Also, I didn’t want to write a parallel scene/chapter later where Adrienne and her parents went back and talked to the cops again.

- After the picnic-breakfast scene, minus Malik up a tree—that was added before final release—but before the wedding, Adrienne had another dinner with the court. In that scene, Rena made her first appearance and the reader learned all about Rena’s mother and how Indivar ended up with her. Obviously, that information was worked into the picnic scene thus making the second dinner obsolete.


Stuff I Couldn’t Mention
This is stuff that just didn’t fit anywhere due to length and flow issues. It still applies and is pertinent info, but not necessary to enjoy reading Adrienne.

- Mushira is married and has two children and one grandchild. Her daughter, through no fault of Mushira’s, is spoiled and haughty. She refuses to follow in her mother’s footsteps and act as a lady’s maid. Mushira’s son, on the other hand, is more than happy to train under Saj and he’s raising his daughter to serve, as well.

- Mushira’s mother was Queen Dione’s lady’s maid and her dedication to her job made her somewhat negligent. The only time she paid attention to Mushira was during training to be a proper lady’s maid for the future queen. When Queen Dione was assassinated, grief made Mushira’s mother follow.

- Qamar is three years married to a lovely young lady who works in the kitchens. They are currently (as of the story) debating on whether to bring a third into their relationship to impregnate the young lady or simply have a fertility mage change some of Qamar’s eggs into sperm and conceive that way (yes, they can do that).

- Nimat was kicked out of her home at a young age because her mother was jealous of her beauty (think Snow White and the wicked stepmother, except this was her actual mother). Nimat’s mother is actually jealous of Nimat because she’s the lady’s maid to Adrienne.

- Hani is child number four of a ten child household. Everyone in her family is an assassin. As to where the assassins are trained and where her family lives, you’ll just have to keep reading the Bron Universe stories to find out. It’s a major plot point so I can’t mention it without giving away stuff.



Check out our reviews for Adrienne!

Happy Reading!
Check back soon for Part Two: The Way it Was!
*Dee*
R&R

Vanessa Gilfoy- Guest Blogging!

Hi readers! I am absolutely thrilled to have Vanessa N. Gilfoy guest blogging with us today. She is a fabulous author, published with Cerridwen Press and Ellora's Cave, and she has just come out with the first book in her new series. Let me welcome and thank Vanessa for being here and introducing us to her phenomenal new series, New Pangaea!

Welcome to New Pangaea

I’m addicted to fantasy for the most perverted reasons. Whether sitting in a theater, or reading in my bed, I can’t help but wonder what an elf’s spells would feel like on my skin. How does magic apply to their love lives? What about vice versa? Wizards, too. They couldn’t have always been gray and wrinkly. What were wizards like in their youth when their flesh was firm and warm? The sick part of me also wondered about dwarves, but I push that out of my head.

Dreams and nightmares grew from these ponderings until New Pangaea formed in my hard drive. Because of my science background, I wanted reason behind the possibilities. What could cause humans to evolve into elves, wizards, and dwarves? The creation of new races or species is normally caused by separation of populations for long periods of time in which catastrophes and harsh living conditions select for new traits, in my novels - magic. This is the premise for a story between our time and New Pangaea, but that transition is still in the works.

My New Pangaea stories take place in a post-apocalyptic Earth after the catastrophes are forgotten, technology lost, and magics emerged. Elves, wizards, humans, and dwarves struggle for power, fueled by desire. Their battles rage between the bedroom and the battlefield. Every detail is explored within this darker realm. Experience the exhilarating touch of an elf. Spells are no longer just for saving short guys from demons and rings.

You’ll catch a glimpse of my wizards in Masquerade of the Cursed King and Guardian of the Onyx Empire. My wizards strengthen not only their minds with spells, but their bodies as well. Much yummier than traditional magic-wielding sort. I’m eager to share more of them. A wizard centered novel is also in the works within New Pangaea.

-Vanessa N. Gilfoy



I am so excited about the New Pangaea series! Vanessa gave me the opportunity to read Masquerade of the Cursed King (review coming soon), and let me tell you, I was absolutely blown away! You can pick up your own copy now at Ellora's Cave. The second book in the series, Guardian of the Onyx Empire, comes out January 18th, with the third book, Quest into the Forbidden, to follow on January 23rd! Be sure and check out Vanessa's website, where you will find all kinds of info about her new Pangaea series, book trailers, screensavers, her monthly contest, and other goodies, as well as info about her vampire romance, Healing Wounds. If you caught and loved her post on the Cerridwen Press blog about using the Nintendo DS as an eReader, and my post on her blog about the PSP as an eReader, you will absolutely love the gamer friendly site Vanessa created, as well as all the DS and PSP goodies she has available!







Happy Reading!
Mandy

Catherine Chernow Guest Blog!

Wow! We are too excited to have our very first guest blogger here, Catherine Chernow. She is the author of the fabulous recent release Lady in White, which received some high compliments from Denise!! Find out all about this wonderful author and her spooky new Bride's Inn series- and just in time for Halloween! Without further ado- Catherine Chernow!!!

A haunted inn nestled on the cliffs lining the rocky northern coastline of Long Island… characters with mysterious pasts…strong-willed heroines…alpha-male heroes that will leave your body tingling, and your senses aroused…a strange apparition…and enough sensual, erotic romance that will turn you on without turning you off to a fantastic story when you read LADY IN WHITE, TIGER’S EYE, MAGIC MAN and GHOST SEEKER. Four spooky, sizzling stories that are part of ‘Bride’s Inn’ – available from www.ResplendencePublishing.com

My name is Catherine Chernow, and I’m thrilled to be a featured Halloween author here at R&R this month. Check out the dynamite review that LADY IN WHITE received from R&R. LADY IN WHITE is the first story in my haunting ‘Bride’s Inn’ series of paranormal erotic romance available from Resplendence Publishing.

Check this out! LADY IN WHITE also received 3 stars from Romantic Times! Here’s what the reviewer at Romantic Times had to say about LADY IN WHITE…"Book one in the Bride's Inn series is a ghostly tale that provides a quick escape. It has a good plot, and the setting is vividly described…an unexpected twist at the end provides a satisfying conclusion." Resplendence Publishing has a super ad in the November issue of Romantic Times featuring LADY IN WHITE.

I’m thrilled to be writing the ‘Bride’s Inn’ series of paranormal, erotic romance for Resplendence Publishing. TIGER’S EYE is the second book in the series (it’s available now for preorder at Resplendence Publishing and will be available for sale this December). MAGIC MAN is the third book in the series, followed by GHOST SEEKER – and these two titles will be available soon. Make sure you log on to the contest page at www.ResplendencePublishing.com because I’ve got a great contest going on now until December 31^st. Details are posted there.

I love a good ghost story – and I’m fascinated with the paranormal. When I was a kid (okay, so that was many, many moons ago! LOL), I read Shirley Jackson’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. Talk about being scared! Yikes. The hair rose on the back of my neck and the more I read, the more frightened I became…

Think I love scary stuff? I do! And a great ghost story is what you’ll get when you read LADY IN WHITE. Would you like to meet Seth Masters, the rogue, alpha-male hero of my ‘Bride’s Inn’ series? Then log onto www.myspace.com/sethmastersli and check him out. Sigh…he makes my heart race. Feel free to blog with Seth on his myspace page. LADY IN WHITE is Seth & Serena’s story, but at www.myspace.com/sethmastersli, it’s all about Seth’s feelings. He’s got lots to say – about himself, and the heroine of LADY IN WHITE, the fiery-haired Serena – a lady with her own mysterious past.

This October is Frightful Fun at my Yahoo! Group, catherinechernowsheartofromance@yahoogroups.com

The fun goes on all month long as I post the Halloween question of the week – we have some crazy chats going. I’ve got a contest happening too, so if you participate in the Halloween Question of the Week, you’ll be entered into a drawing where you’ll be eligible to win some great prizes from www.Avon.com. Details are posted at catherinechernowsheartofromance@yahoogroups.com

I love to chat with readers & authors. I love meeting new people. I’m participating in a chat today (Tues. Oct. 23rd) with lots of other ResplendencePublishing authors at
Fallen Angel Review Chatters

Click to join Fallen Angel Review Chatters

Catch me there beginning at 5 p.m., EST (Eastern Standard Time). You could win a free download of LADY IN WHITE or TIGER’S EYE!

My family’s precious to me, my hubby and two grown children are the light of my life, and writing romance, is the spark that makes it all work right. I’ve been writing since I was a kid – ever since I could grasp a pencil between my stubby little fingers. I entertained classmates, friends and family with my stories, and now, I get to share them with everyone – I get to share them with you!

A violin’s sweet song echoes a love profound…what happens when a world-renowned violinist shares a night of passion with a mysterious stranger – and leaves her prized possession, a rare, one-of-a-kind violin, in a bar? MASTRODDI’S MAGIC is a tale of erotic romance with a paranormal twist, as a tall Texan from the wrong side of the tracks, and a talented, classical violinist discover the secrets of the MASTRODDI’S MAGIC. When murder, deception and tragedy strike, will the MASTRODDI’S MAGIC be enough to mend their broken hearts and lives?

MASTRODDI’S MAGIC is a full-length, single-title, contemporary romance, paired with a paranormal plot. MASTRODDI’S MAGIC will be available soon from Resplendence Publishing

Read great excerpts and have some fun at catherinechernowsheartofromance@yahoogroups.com,

Check out the hot, hunky Seth at www.myspace.com/sethmastersli. Read the entire first chapter of LADY IN WHITE at www.myspace.com/catherinechernow and read my bio and have a spooky good time at www.CatherineChernow.com (check out my ‘Paranormal Party’ page!).

I’ve had a wonderful time blogging here at R&R…I enjoyed it so much. Now, I bid you goodbye, but not for long…for the paranormal fun has just begun.

Spook to you later!

Catherine- Thank you so much for your wonderful blog! We really enjoyed finding out more about your new series, and all the great places we can find you on the web! We already know Lady in White is awesome, and we can't wait to read Tiger's Eye in December!

Readers- Thank you for joining us! Be sure and read Denise's review for Lady in White, and then go treat yourself to a copy! Be sure to come back and let us know what you think!

Happy Reading!
Dee and Mandy
Rogues and Romance